General Kinship Publications

Series of resources based on a comprehensive survey of kinship care policies that identifies increasing efforts by states to promote kinship care and support kinship caregivers of children and youth who are known to the child welfare system.

The series includes an Executive Summary, and briefs describing:

• 1: Policies that support licensure of kinship foster parents;
• 2: Policies that affect unlicensed kinship caregivers;
• 3: Policies that govern kinship diversion;
• 4: Policies that encourage agencies to engage and partner with kinship caregivers, the children in their care, and parents; and
• 5: Policies that include the perspectives of kinship care families in designing solutions.

Summary of the final rule on legal representation issued by ACYF on May 9, 2024, and how it could impact legal services for kin caregivers. The rule allows Title IV-E agencies to use federal funds to cover the costs of legal representation, including for kinship caregivers. The rule also expands the types of legal proceedings that are eligible for this funding to include civil legal proceedings that may impact family preservation and placement stability, such as housing or benefit access.

Think of Us report that reviews and analyzes existing research about kinship care. This review aims to summarize what we know, identify remaining research gaps, and highlight areas where the social services sector, policymakers, and researchers can focus their efforts to best support children, kinship caregivers, and their families.

Think of Us report that identifies the cultural, experiential, and institutional strengths and challenges of kinship care in select counties in California, Indiana, and New Hampshire through on-the-ground field research with 255 youth, parents, and kin, as well as the 140 agency staff, 93 service providers, and 41 legal professionals that work with them. It also compiles existing kin-first practices through a landscape review and subject-matter expert interviews. 

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its third brief in a five-part series  - Family Ties: Analysis from a State-By-State Survey of Kinship Care Policies - based on survey data collected in 2022 for the AECF by Child Trends.  This brief,  New Insights on State Kinship Diversion Policies, examines survey data related to state’s policies for creating, overseeing and tracking diversion arrangements and the resources made available for children and kinship caregivers in diversion arrangements.